Caster.



No. 7i6,8 07.

Patented m 23, I902.

F. BUESSER.

CASTEB.

(Application filed Nov. 14, 1901. Renewed Aug. 14, 1902.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES: M

lig' m'ak Basset;

' A 7"TOHNEYS Ni'rEn STATES FREDRICK BUESSER, OF GUTTENBERG, NEW JERSEY.

CASTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,807, dated December23, 1902. Application filed November 14, 1901. Renewed August 14, 1902.7 Serial No. 119,682. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom, it aw/y concern/.-

Be it known that I, Fnnnnron Bnnssnn, a citizen of the United States,residing in Guttenberg, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Casters, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved caster of that class which is usedin connection with the tubular legs of metallic bedsteads or otherarticles of furniture, so that the caster can be quickly andconveniently introduced and then frictionally held in the tubular legwithout being liable to become detached from the same when moving thefurniture.

My invention consists of a caster for bedsteads and other articles offurniture, comprising a caster-wheel, a supporting-frame and pintle forthe same, and a spring-frame supported on the pintle, the sameconsisting of a main piece parallel with the pintle, top and bottomguard-plates bent up from the ends of said main piece and provided withcentral openings through which said pintle passes, and spring sideplates or jaws extending laterally from the said main piece, the twopoints located at the juncture of the main piece and side plates and thetwo points located at the outer edge of the side plates, forming fourleg-contacts located approximately on the circumference of a circlearound the said openings; and the invention consists, lastly, of certaindetails of construction and combinations of parts which willbe fullydescribed hereinafter and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation ofthe leg of a bedstead or other piece of furniture with my improvedcaster placed in position thereon. Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectionthrough the leg and the upper part of the caster. Fig. 3 is a horizontalsection through the leg and springframe of the caster on line 3 3, Fig.2. Fig. at is a perspective View of the spring-frame shown as detachedfrom the pintle of the caster. Figs. 5 and 6 are top views of forms ofdifferent blanks from which the springframe is made; and Fig. 7 is a topview of the spring-frame, showing the location of the frictional contactedges of the same relatively to the top guard-plate.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, a represents a casterwheel, I) thesupporting-frame to which the same is pivoted, and o is a pintle appliedto the topb of the frame 17. The top 5 of the frame 1) is made of diskshape and provided with a central depression in which the lower end ofthe pintle c is centrally riveted. The pintle c is made at its lower endwith an outwardly-flaringcone-shaped portion at, over which is placed aninverted cup d, between which and the conical portion (1 of the pintleantifriction-balls d are placed, so that the caster can readily and withlittle friction turn on said balls.

On the spindle c is placed a spring-frame e, which is bent up from theblank 6' of sheet metal, preferably sheet-steel, as shown in Figs. 5 and6, said blank being formed of a main portion 6 of oblong shape, sideplates or jaws 6 extending from the longer sides of the main portion 6and being provided with curved outermost edges e, and disk-shapedportions e that are connected by intermediate portions 6 with theshorter sides of the main portion 9 as shown clearly in Figs. 5 and 6.The disk-shaped portions e are provided with central openings 6, throughwhich the pintle a can pass. The disk-shaped portions a are bent up atright angles to the main portion 5 while the side plates are bent up atan obtuse angle thereto, the side plates forming thereby the laterallyextending springs of the spring-frame, while the diskshaped portionsform perforated guard-plates at the top and bot'touiof the same. to' theshort connecting portions a between the main portion 6 and theperforated guardplates the edges formed by the main piece e and the sideplates are located outside of the circumference of the guard-plates,likewise the outer curved edges of the side plates, so that four pointsof frictional contact located on the circumference of a circle aroundthe said openings are formed between the springframe after the same isstruck up from its blank and the interior face of the tubular leg withwhich the caster is to be used.

The blank of the spring-frame is made in one piece and bent up bysuitable dies. It is placed by the perforations of the guard- Owlngplates on the pintle, the side plates forming spring-jaws that bind atthe interior of the tubular leg and hold the caster firmly in position,while the top and bottom guard-plates serve merely for holding itcentrally on the spindle, as they are of less diameter than the interiordiameter of the tubular leg. After the spring frame is placed on thepintle the upper end of the same is upset so as to retain thespring-frame on the same and prevent its becomingdetached therefrom. Theoutercurved edges of the side plates of the spring-frame facilitate theintroduction of the springframe into the tubular leg, as they aregradually pressed toward each other when introduced until the leg abutsagainst the top plate or cup on the supporting-frame. When thespring-frame of the caster is inserted into the tubular leg, it formsfrictional contact with the same at four points-namely, at the twoupright edges of the main piece and at the outer edges of the sideplates-so that the dropping of the caster from the leg is thus preventedin a reliable manner when the piece of furniture is to be moved orlifted. As the spring-frame is capable of different degrees ofcompression, the same size of caster may be used for several sizes oflegs within certain limits, so that only a few sizes of springframeshave to be made up. Then the caster is once inserted into the tubularleg, it is held firmlyin the same by the friction between the edges ofthe same and the interior of the leg, while the antifriction-ballspermit the caster to move easily in any direction when the piece offurniture is moved about. The caster can readily be detached from theleg by pulling in downward direction, so as to overcome the frictionalcontact of the springframe with the leg, the side plates giving thensufficiently to permit the withdrawing of the caster from the leg.

Casters of the general'type of which my improved casteris an example arecommonly employed for metallic furniture. A serious difficultyheretofore met with in the use of these casters was that of securing thecaster rigidly in theleg of the article without some permanent fasteningmeans. The tubes used in the manufacture of metallic furniture,particularly of the cheapergrades, are rough and uneven at the interior.Furthermore, they frequently vary in interior diameter. Under theseconditions and especially by reason of the rough and uneven condition ofthe inte rior surface of the tubes the spring-frames heretofore usedfailed to always hold the caster rigid and stable, as the spring-framewas unable to seat itself immovably in the tube, owing to theinequalities in the surface of the same. away with and, in fact,practically overcome by my improved spring-frame, owing to the fact thatthe outer edges of the spring-actuated side plates are convexly curved.The convex edge contacts normally at one point This difficulty islargely done in its length with the tube into which it isinserted,and'thereby seats itself reliably upon the surface presented,whatever be the character of the same, so that a firm hold is obtained.The spring-frame readily adapts itself to tubes of difierent sizes andholds the caster reliably in place.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. The combination, with a caster-wheel, of asupporting-frame and a pintle attached to the top of saidsupporting-frame, a springframe supported on said pintle, the sameconsisting of a main piece parallel with the pintle, top and bottomguard-plates bent up from the ends of said main piece and provided withcentral openings through which said pintle passes, and spring sideplates or jaws extending laterally from said main piece, the two pointslocated at the juncture of the side plates and main piece and the twopoints located at the outer edges of the side plates forming fourleg-contacts located approximately on the circumference of a circlearound the said openings, substantially as set forth.

2. Aspring-frame for casters, the same consisting of a main piece,parallel top and bottom guard-plates bent up from the ends of said mainpiece and provided with central openings, and spring side plates or jawsex tending laterally from said main piece, the two points located at thejuncture of the side plates and main piece and the two points located atthe outer edges of the side plates forming four leg-contacts locatedapproximately on the circumference of a circle around the said openings,substantially as set forth.

3. A blank for the spring-frame of furni turc-casters, said blank beingcomposed of an oblong main portion, centrallyperforated disk-shapedportions provided with contracted portions or necks connecting them withthe ends of the blank, and side portions extending from the entirelength of the sides of the main portion, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a caster-wheel,a yoke for the same, and apintle extending from said yoke, of an expansible spring-frame rotatablymounted on said pintle and provided with a main piece approximatelyparallel with the same and having approximately vertical edges radiallystationary therefrom, and spring-actuated side plates extendinglaterally from said main piece and having convexly-curved forward edgesfor cooperatin g with said stationary edges for holding the caster inplace, substantially as set forth.

5. A spring-frame for casters, consisting of a Vertical main piece,portions at either end of the same arranged at an angle thereto andadapted for rotatably mounting the same on the caster-pintle with theedges of said main piece radially stationary therefrom, and

IIO

spring-actuated side plates extending laterally from said main piece andhaving convexly-cnrved forward edges, substantiailyas set forth.

6. A blank for the spring-frame of casters,

said blank consisting of an oblong main piece, perforated disk-shapedportions connected with the ends of said main piece, and side platesextending from the sides of said main portion and convexly curved attheir outer xo edges, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDRIOK BUESSER.

JOSEPH H. .NILES,

Witnesses HENRY SUHRBIER.

